Nothing particularly new here, and it does witter on a bit
No doubt some merit in the complaints being made. But it's basically all down the the competitive threat posed by Uber, and there's not a lot anyone can do about that, and certainly not the council here.
But some of the complaints look a bit iffy - for example, complaining about Uber, and then complaining that people won't be able to book Uber in areas with a poor phone signal
And the fare quoted could well be surge-pricing, but we're not told that. Can't see Uber being so consistently high compared to the local council tariff.
Anyway, the concrete information that
can be challenged is the vehicle stats cited for London
If that's anything to go by, then these guys don't have a scooby
Taxi drivers in Cornwall fear 'devastating' Uber impacthttps://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornw ... g-10790557They fear if more drivers turn to Uber, there will be fewer taxis covering rural areasTaxi drivers fear Uber could “destroy” rural communities and push out local business if it continues to operate in Cornwall.
Brett Bennett, who works as an independent taxi driver in Falmouth and surrounding areas, says the introduction of Uber last year has already seen the cost of trips rise.
The dad-of-one warned if more drivers make the switch, there will be little incentive for them to travel to rural parts of Cornwall.
And drivers fear it will be those communities which suffer the most.
“It’s going to be devastating,” Brett said.
“I mean, if you look at what they've done in London, the black cabs are down to about 80,000 and Uber's now got 150,000 cars. If all of a sudden Uber takes over, then Hackney cars are going to disappear.
“The elderly woman who goes to the doctors every week isn’t going to be able to get a taxi anymore. It’s going to absolutely destroy the rural communities that rely on local taxis or the guys that have been doing it for 30, 40 years."
Uber Britannia Limited was granted a private hire operator’s licence by Cornwall Council in May, enabling the company to take private hire bookings across the Duchy.
The service is still fairly limited, concentrated in areas like Falmouth, Newquay , Truro , Bodmin and St Ives.
Uber said that since being granted an operator’s licence in Cornwall, it has supported the local economy by 'creating new earning opportunities for local drivers and expanding affordable transport options for passengers.'
A spokesperson said: “We continue to welcome new local drivers to Uber, all of whom benefit from a highly competitive incentives package and industry leading worker rights, which includes holiday pay and a pension.”
But Brett fears that if Uber “starts to push its way in” drivers for the company may be unlikely to drive to quieter areas.
“The taxis will go, ‘we're not going to pay £340 a year for a Hackney plate and then the maintenance of a car and all of that and not have the work’,” he said.
“So what will happen is the smaller communities, places like Perranporth, Porthleven, Helston, the Lizard, Looe, they will lose their taxis because the guys can't afford to keep up.
“Uber is not going to go to those rural places because they can't guarantee a second pickup - they're going to go back to where it's busy.”
Another local driver, who did not wish to be named, said: “Local businesses in Falmouth are already struggling with the rise in cost and many shops have been and gone because the volume of visitors and tourists has dropped significantly over the past couple of years.
“Having Uber drivers from different areas that don't know the roads will be charging customers more money going on longer routes with no local knowledge.”
They added: “Having such a big multimillion pound company coming into a small town is also very damaging to local taxi firms’ trade and undercutting local Set Council Tariffs on certain journeys could potentially kill the local taxis companies (as proven in the big cities) leaving the people that don't like Uber and older generations then forced to use Uber.”
Brett agrees - and says he has already noticed a difference in cost.
He said: “I'm charging £12 for four people from (Falmouth University) campus up to The Moor They're charging £21. When you buy your own car, you're paying your own insurance, your tax, your MOT, your maintenance costs, and then you can give away (a large portion) of your earnings to Uber.”
He also noted that in many rural communities internet signal can also be an issue when out and about, questioning how customers would be able to order an Uber on their phone with no signal.
“The council's dropped the ball completely,” Brett said. “I just feel that the taxi industry isn't being looked after in Cornwall. The council doesn’t seem to care.”
Taxis in Cornwall are licensed in six separate areas, based on the old district councils of Penwith, Kerrier, Carrick, Restormel, North Cornwall, and Caradon. All local authorities charge a licence application fee to cover costs - and if a local authority determines that a licensing application meets the criteria for the relevant legislation/policy, they cannot refuse that licence.
Cornwall Council recently suggested removing the six taxi zones in the county to create one single taxi area for all of Cornwall, with the consultation closing at the end of last year and due to be discussed in March.
A spokesperson for Cornwall Council said: “Cornwall Council is legally obliged to grant a Private Operator Licence if the applicant meets the criteria set out in the relevant legislation and policies.
“All Taxi and Private Hire Licences are subject to a licence fee, which covers the cost of the Council’s licensing service. Cornwall Council cannot and does not make a profit from licensing applications.
“The consultation about whether to amalgamate taxi zones ended on December 31, 2025. Feedback from the consultation is due to be discussed by the Council’s Community Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee in March. No decisions have been made at this time.”
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